House Col'Khak
House Col'Khak, known also as the Suzerain House of Col'Khak or The Col'Khak Collective, is an alliance of Imperial Knight Houses of the Questor Mechanicus that were founded in the latter 30th Millennium during the Great Crusade on the frigid Agri-World of Atar-Planitia in support of the then-recently implanted Forge World of Atar-Median. As such, the Collective owed its fealty first to the ancient Mechanicum -- through its bonded Forge World of Atar-Median -- and second to the Imperium. History Since its inception in the early years of the Great Crusade, the Col'Khak Collective has followed the strictures of the Sidon Protocols, effectively bonding it to the Atar-Median Forge World. The warriors of Col'Khak have trained to function flawlessly alongside the Atar-Median Taghmata and the Titans of the Legio Atarus ("Firebrands"), and have benefitted from the continuous supply of Magaera and Styrix pattern Knight armours from the forges of Atar-Median. Though many conservative knightly Houses consider the Styrix to be a dark and malevolent pattern of armour, amongst the Mechanicum-oathed House Col'Khak, the Styrix was held in higher esteem, especially among those scions who have undergone extensive augmentation in honour of their enigmatic patrons and share their antipathy for the weakness of flesh. The pitiless thrall-Knights of House Col'Khak were renowned for fielding entire formations of these machines in support of the Legio Atarus, sweeping clear enemy infantry from the Titan's feet in a furious blast of energy beams and cleansing radiation. Such was the level of integration between the House and its Mechanicum allies that the Archmagos Prelate, or lead Princeps of a battlegroup to which the warriors of Col'Khak were assigned, was treated with some veneration and granted full authority over the assembled Knights. Indeed, the warriors of Col'Khak have long since adapted many of the rites and practices of the Cult Mechanicus for their own use, treating all technological artefacts as precious relics and heirlooms of the Collective. Many even voluntarily accept extensive levels of cybernetic augmentation, although aesthetically choose to remain human in overall appearance. It is said that many of the oldest scions of Col'Khak are little more than preserved cerebral matter and life support systems. Outside their Knight armour, they appear as almost animate statuary to some in the most extreme cases, their gilded and argent plated bodies matching an ideal of human form. After the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V, and the sacrifice of a full demi-Legion of the Legio Atarus and their supporting Knights, the warriors of Col'Khak clamoured for assignment to mustering maniples of Titans, eager to seek revenge for their brethren slain in the opening moves of Horus' rebellion. Notable Campaigns *'Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V (566.006.M31)' - The Col'Khak Collective dispatched a full supporting cadre of Knights in assistance to a Legio Atarus demi-Legio sent to support the Loyalist assault on Istvaan V. All were subsequently lost alongside the Titans of the Red Naga War Maniple. The warriors of Col'Khak swore revenge on the Traitors and were most eager to join the battle against the Traitor forces of Warmaster Horus. * Battle of Beta-Garmon, "The Titandeath" (006-013.M31) - House Col'Khak took part in the long and savage Beta-Garmon campaign, which included hundreds of war zones across dozens of worlds. During this conflict, House Col'Khak provided Knight support to the Legio Atarus. Even before the greater armies of the Warmaster Horus reached the star cluster, the battle lines had long since been drawn, and fighting had been going on for many Terran years. It was a cauldron of battle that would consume millions of lives before its end and see the demise of entire Titan Legions, earning this campaign the dire moniker of the "Titandeath." The Beta-Garmon Cluster, also known as the gateway to the throneworld of Terra, was the last hurdle that the Warmaster Horus' forces had to overcome before they reached the Imperium's capital world. Heavily fortified by the Loyalists, Beta-Garmon would become one of the greatest and bloodiest battles of the Horus Heresy, as well as one of the longest-lasting. *'The Cataclysm of Iron (010.M31)' - Across border sectors of the Segmentum Tempestus and the Segmentum Pacificus are located numerous lesser Forge Worlds known collectively as the "Belt of Iron". Since the sundering of the Imperium, many declared for the Traitor cause at the engineering of the Fabricator-General of Mars, while others remained loyal to Terra or sought to remain as aloof as possible from the conflict. Strife and tentative conflict between these once-aligned worlds erupted into full-scale war in 010.M31, pitching the Mars-aligned Forge Worlds of Incunabula, Urdesh, Valia-Maximal and Kalibrax against the forces of the Loyalist worlds of Graia, Arl'yeth and Atar-Median, while Arachnis and Jerulas Station both fell into civil war. The resulting conflict, that later becomes known as the "Cataclysm of Iron", sees the forge lords, their armies and allied Titan Legions and Knight Houses turn on each other in protracted warfare, with scores of human-inhabited worlds in the region suffering as they become the battlegrounds upon which they fight. *'The Battle of Ice World Tralsak (011.M31)' - The shallow, frozen oceans of Tralsak are flash-boiled to steam by the fury of engine-war as full Household of Knights from House Col'Khak and Loyalist Titans of Legio Atarus and Legio Agravides clash with the Traitors of the Legio Magna and Legio Victorum as the Loyalist Shattered Legions and Traitor World Eaters fight across the disintegrating landscape of ice floes. Ultimately, outright victory eludes both sides, and each uses the cover of the world-enveloping fog thrown up by the destruction to extricate their forces and redeploy them elsewhere. Nevertheless, numerous supporting Knights of both sides remain to fight a war in which neither will concede defeat. Military Strength The military strength of the Col'Khak Collective is currently unknown, though it is believed to conform widely to a Questoris-type Household. The Col'Khak are known to be extensively equipped with both the Magaera and the Styrix Pattern Questoris Armour, both manufactured continuously on Atar-Median, which leads to the conclusion that the Col'Khak Collective is regularly used as anti-infantry support for the Legio Atarus. House Appearance House Colours The colours of House Col'Khak are red and black. House Arms House Col'Khak's coat of arms is not listed in current Imperial records. House Personal Heraldry There is no information in regards to personal heraldry for House Col'Khak Knights in current Imperial records. Sources *''Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Rulebook'' (Specialty Game), pp. 16, 74 *''Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Titandeath'' (Specialty Game), pg. 93 *''The Horus Heresy Book Four: Conquest'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 98-99 es:Casa Col'Khak Category:C Category:Adeptus Mechanicus Category:Knight Houses Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Knights Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Walkers